Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-12-07
Two Tiger Stories.

L remember rightly, In the Cnanda
district. We heard that tiger, tig-
ress and three cubs frequented strip
of jungle on the river the tigress,
moreover, had by native report been
magnified into "man eater" and
was said to have killed man the day
previous to our arrival. This, indeed.
proved to be the fact but the poor
wretch lost his life by his own care
lessness and foolhardiness. The man
in question had a small patch of culti-
vation bordering the cover in which
the tigers generally lay up. The cubs
in their gambels had done coDsidera-
bic damage to the crop, rolling about
in it, and breaking down the plants.
In order to prevent their making his
field their playground, the owner, in
spite of being advised to the contrary
announced his intention of setting FIRE
to the long grass at the end of the
jungle. This intention he according
ly proceeded to carry into effect. and
had hardly kindled the flames which
were to insure him from future dam
age, when the tigress, which had been
lying up to within few yards of him,
rushed out and knocked him over,
killing him almost instantly. She.
however, left him and never ate any
of the body, as she would have done
had she been man-eater. The even
ing of our arrival We had three or
four "hailas" tied out, and the follow
ing morning had the satisfaction of
hearing that one was killed. Accord
ingly about II o'clock, we started
out with some eighty beaters for the
scene of action. The carcass of the
calf had been dragged by the tigress
into small nullah that debouched
into the main river about half mile
futher on there wa. similar nullah,
and between these two we took up our
positions in trees and some fifty yards
apart. The beat had not commenced
more than five minutes and I was gaz-
ing eagerly to my front when l saw
the tigress, followed by three cubs,
not quite half grown, and about the
size of big mastiffs, coming straight
towards me. She was slouching sulk-
lily along; evidently much put out
at being disturbed, and the cubs trot-
ted after her, one of them every now
and then stopping, with pricked ears,
and gazing back at the beaters; then
it would scamper on after its moth
er. 1t was pretty sylvan scene, and
the sunlight, falling on their sleek
stripped hides as they moved noiseless.
ly over the dead leaves that carpeted
the ground, glittered and quivered in
fantastic rays. They came straight
on for my post, and got within ten
yards Of me, when, with an upward
curl of the lip and twitching of the
tip of the tail. that well known sign of
Irritation which always means mis-
chief on the part of the feline race,
the tigress stopped to listen, and as
she turned her head back, gazing to-
wards the heaters, l aimed at her neck
between its junction with the should
ers and the ears and fred. She drop
ped in her tracks without groan and
never stirred. II seemed as if in
a twinkling the ground had, as it were
been cut from under her legs, at the
same moment depriving her of life
with speed of electricity. / only on
one other occasion ever saw any large
animal pass so suddenly from life to
death without even twitch or move
ment of a muscle.
Two gentlemen, we will call them
A and B, residing together on an es-
tate. had lost, besides other. employees
two "chowkedars." or native watch
men, within few days, and the un-
fortunate men had actually been
carried off out of the veranda of the
bungalow, A and b. therefore, de-
termined to clothe themselves like ma
tives and sit during the night, armed,
in the veranda, in the hopes they
might get shot at the man-eater,
who they thought might probably re-
turn to the spot which had already
provided him with two victims. They
proceeded to carry out this intention,
and sat up until 2 or 3 o'clock in the
morning, but nothing appeared. A
then said he should not stay up any
longer, as he did not believe the ami
NAL would come; but B announced |
his intention Of waiting half an hour
longer by himself. There were large
windows opening down to the floor of
the veranda, and through one of these
A retired, and, after entering his room,
had just closed the window and was
gazing out for an instant, when he
saw dark mass land in the veranda
right on to his friend, and then heard
sounds of a scuffle and cry for help.
Selling his rife, to which a sword
bayonet Was attached. finninr nm the